How To Select Healthy Foods For Your Dog

Larger and more diverse than ever before are today’s pet food market. This will present a dilemma in choosing the healthiest food for your dog even though it offers a large number of choices in various types of pet food. Which is suitable for a dog: generic or store brands? Have you considered familiar name brands? Are the pricier brands that advertise specially formulated ingredients (Science Diet, Eukanuba) really living up to their claims and worth the extra money? It’s true that loving dog owners deserve to have answers for all of these valid questions.

Considering Some Dog Food

You need to consider several factors when you are choosing the right food for your dog. Different nutritional needs are what different dogs have during the different stages in their lives. When you are choosing the food you will give your dog, there are some things you have to consider.

How Old is the Dog?

Puppies have different nutritional requirements than adult dogs just as human children have different needs than adult people. Different requirements are what senior dogs have unlike the younger adult dogs. Another thing you need to do is make sure that you choose a food that is appropriate for your dog’s stage in life.

The Health of Your Dog

Does your dog have a specific medical condition? If yes, then you need to make sure that partially dictated by that condition is the food that you choose. Diabetic dogs need low-glucose foods and dogs with specific allergies (yes dogs can be allergic to all sorts of things, just like people) may require certain foods as well. Foods that are appropriate for a dog with a specific medical condition is what your veterinarian can help you with.

What is Dog’s Size or Body Type?

You will notice that some dogs are overweight. Then there are those that are underweight. Some have a natural tendency to get lots of exercise while others tend to prefer to lie around a lot. Of course, aside from small, medium, and large dogs, there are also the ultra-tiny ‘toy’ dogs. Different requirements for the type of food they need as well as how much of it is what all of these different types of dogs will have.

Your Budget

When it comes to dog food, it can be expensive and there is no doubt about it. Speaking of dog food, the rule here states that you will get what you pay for. Low cost generics and store brands are made with cheap ingredients and lots of fillers which is why even though they will lighten the burden on your wallet, they are not the healthiest choice for your dog. Buying the best dog food you can on your budget is what you should do to help ensure the nutrition of your dog.